Yard birds from a blind

At first look of the photo on the left, some would think that a blind needs to be placed in more natural surroundings and not against a house. For the common birds that visit our yard, they could care less. (Ameristep Outhouse Blind)

I sat the portable blind up yesterday in an area of our yard that is free of snow which happens to be next to our house and 20 feet away from one of our feeder stations. As most of you know, I am off work on disability for the time being and when the weather is half decent I get stir crazy. The light-weight blind springs into shape effortlessly. Metal pin stakes, which push into the ground with your foot, keeps the blind from blowing away. Inside, a swivel chair with backrest gives a 360° view when needed and is above all, comfortable. When finished using it, it folds up and is stored in a backpack type bag.

After setting up, I left the blind for an hour so the birds could get used to it. It didn’t even take that long. As I watched from inside the house, birds returned immediately to the feeders. With camera in hand, I entered the blind, had a seat and waited.

The first bird was a Blue Jay who apparently watched me enter the hide. All it could do was sit in a tree and screech at me. Pine Siskins were next. They eat all day long from the thistle feeder. I began taking photos.

What I love about the blind is that any movement that I make is hidden from the birds. I actually took my coat off while inside and didn’t spook any birds. I even sneezed and they were still there! At one point, I heard a bird on the top of the blind walking around. I later learned it was a Chickadee.

During the hour that I spent in the blind, I took over 300 photos. Yes they are common yard birds that can be found in yards all over the northeast U.S. But I had fun, and I was up close and personal with the birds even though they had no idea that I was there which in turn caused them no stress.

Enjoy the photos and remember, clicking a thumbnail will bring up a shadowbox with a larger view. Tip: hit f11 to open your browser to its fullest top to bottom size to view photos in fullest size possible.